Shorts: Mideast

tel aviv (ap) | U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales on Tuesday commended Israel for its strong cooperation in the war against terror and international crime.

Speaking at Tel Aviv University, Gonzales mentioned Israel's March extradition of suspected Israeli mob boss Zeev Rosenstein to the United States as an action that "highlights one of the most important ways we cooperate with our international law enforcement partners."

Rosenstein was extradited for trial on charges of involvement in a drug ring that allegedly distributed more than 1 million Ecstasy pills in Miami and New York.

He spoke primarily about "global law enforcement in a post 9/11 world," and of the wide range of cooperation the U.S. has with its allies in combating drug trade, corruption, fraud, bribery and child pornography.

Palestinian leaders agreed Tuesday to accept the document, which calls for a Palestinian state in eastern Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, demands a "right of return" to Israel for millions of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, and upholds the validity of terrorist attacks in areas Israel won in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Leaders from Islamic Jihad, another terrorist group, rejected the document. The document does not meet international demands that Hamas renounce violence and explicitly recognize the Jewish state.

Abbas calls suicide bombings 'crime'

amman, jordan | Mahmoud Abbas called suicide bombings a "crime" because of Muslim prohibitions on suicide.

The Palestinian Authority president made the remark Wednesday at a conference for Nobel Peace Prize laureates in Jordan, after being questioned on the issue by fellow panelist Elie Wiesel.

"First of all, as Muslims, it is a crime to commit suicide. Muslims believe that if you commit suicide, you go to hell, and that goes without saying for killing others," Abbas was quoted as saying by the Jerusalem Post.

Palestinian terrorist groups that promote suicide bombings deny it is forbidden by Islam, saying it is considered "martyrdom" when the target is Israeli Jews.

Trump plans Tel Aviv tower

tel aviv (jta) | Donald Trump announced plans to build a Tel Aviv tower that would be Israel's tallest.

The American real-estate tycoon said Sunday that the 70-story Trump Tower Israel, slated to go up across from the Diamond Exchange in Ramat Gan, would be mainly residential.

No timetable or budget was immediately cited for the new project, but media reports said Trump had paid $44 million for a building currently on the site where the tower will be erected.